More Than Enough

Dayenu. Dah-yeh-new.

Every Passover I learn new words. This week I attended my second Seder, the Jewish ceremony consisting of rituals and dinner among friends and family. Each time I enjoy a holiday with my fiancée’s family, I expect to learn a new word or two. First, during my college years in New York City, came kvetch and kvell; next came mitzvah. The latest, acquired at her family’s home in suburban Philadelphia, means, roughly, “it would have been enough.”

It’s not that Elizabeth’s family is deeply rooted in Jewish tradition. They celebrate Hanukah and hold Bar …